Suction-box for paper-making machines.



B. D. COPPA'GE.

SUCTION BOX FOR PAPER MAKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. '27. 1915.

1,170,142. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. D. COPPAGE.

SUCTION BOX FOR PAPER MAKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1915.

1,170,142, I Patented Feb.1, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

BENJAMIN DENVER COPPAGE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE SUCTION-BOX FOR- PAPER-MAKING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Feb. '1, 1916.

Application filed September 27, 1915. Serial No. 52,841.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN DENVER C-OPIAGE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Wilmington, Delaware, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Suction-Boxes for Paper Making Machines, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

The present'invention is an improvement in suction boxes such as employed to remove water from the paper stock carried by the Fourdrinier wire of a paper-making machine; and the object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for the body part of the box, givingit very great strength and rigidity.

In modern paper-making 'machines capable of producing a sheet of paper 200 inches or more in width, the suction boxes are now for the most part made of extruded metal and provided with strengthening flanges, this construction having marked advantages with respect to lightness and strength over the older forms of suction boxes. The boxes, made principally of extruded metal, as above stated, have each been provided with a body part having upright side walls and a bottom and a horizontal partition dividing the box intoupper and lower compartments. The side walls serve to support a perforated top over which the Fourdrinier wire and the paper web travel.

The boxes as heretofore constructed have been quite satisfactory for machines of.

medium width; but for the wider machines adapted to produce paper 200 or more inches in width, I have found that suction boxes constructed in accordance with earlier practice are not sufficiently rigid and are subject to serious vibration and to se1 ious deflection under their own weight and the weight of the wire and the paper moving over them.

By my invention I have provided suction boxes having all ofthe advantages of the earlier boxes of the most advanced design, and at the same time having unusual strength and rigidity making them peculiarly adapted for use on very wide machines.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, for purposes of illustration, two embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that the drawings are for illustration purposes only, and they are not intended to define or limit the invention, the

appended claims being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective view showing one form of suction box with the top or cover removed; Fig. 2 'is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the cover being shown in place; Fig. 3 is a detailed view showing some of the parts-of the suction box drawn apart for clear illustration; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing another form of suction box with the top or cover removed; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig.v 4,'the cover being shown in place; Fig. 6 is a detailed view showing w some of the parts of the suction box shown in Figs. 4 and 5 drawn apart for clear illustration.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, 5 and 6 represent the side walls of the upper chamber, and 7 and 8 indicate parts constituting the sides and bottom of the lower'chamber. Flanges9 and 10 support the perforated cover 11 that isheld'in place by suitable means, as two series of screws 12 and 12. The side piece 5 is provided with a longitudinal flange 13, and the side piece 6 is provided with a similar flange 1 1. These flanges act to stiflen the box and also provide gutters to catch the drippings from the edges of the coverboard 11. The crumbs of stock in these drippings are held on these flanges whilethe water from the drippings drains through openings 15 and 16 at each end of the flanges, said openings being in vertical planes beyond the lateral marginal extremities of the Fourdrinier wire. The part 7 of the lower chamber is provided with flanges 17 and 18, and thepart 8 with corresponding flanges l9'and 20. Preferably one longitudinal edge of a separate middle piece" or .bottom 21 for the upper chamber is secured between flanges 13 and 17 by suitable means, as a row of rivets 23, and the other longitudinal edge is similarly secured between flanges 14; and 19 by rivets 23, and preferably the seams are calked or soldered.

The members 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the suction box are preferably of extruded composition, and the middle plate 21 is preferably of rolled'sheet composition. The plate 21 is provided with a plurality of openings or perforations 24 by means of which the suction is applied through the perforations in cover 11; and a plurality of braces are secured to the inside of walls 5 and 6, the main function of these braces being tosupport the long perforated cover 11 which has a decided tendency to collapse. due to the vacuum in the upper chamber. The suc tion. is applied in any suitable manner, as by a pump (not shown) connected with the suction outlet 26 in one of the two end pieces or heads 27. An operating rod 28, provided with a handle 29, projects through said head 27, and is connected to a cover plate 30 to which is secured a plug 31 which latter snugly fits the walls 5 and 6 and is adjustable longitudinally of the same. A similar rod 28 passes through the other head 27 and has an adjustable plug 31 secured thereto. These plugs are moved into the box to a position corresponding tothe width of paper to be manufactured.

Secured to head 27 is an inlet 32 (Fig. 3) for priming water, this inlet being usuallyat the side known as the tending side ofthe machine, which is opposite to the side where the'outlet 26 is located. Communicating with this inlet is a priming pipe 32 which communicates with the parts of the upper chamber between head 27 and plug 31 and head27 and the plug 31. Said priming. pipe is supported. in suitable clips 33 secured to plate 21. The priming water in the spaces between said heads and plugs acts as a water seal, and assists in maintaining the vacuum between said plugs 31 and 31.

In accordance with my present invention in order to give additional strength and rigidity to the suction box, I provide it with a vertical or upright member separate from and additional to the parts constituting the side Walls of thebox. Preferably this supplemental member is arranged centrallyand is so positioned as to maintain the vertical over-all dimensions ofthe box as small as possible. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the supplemental member consists of an I-beam 34, the web. part of which lies between the two flanges 18 and 20 and is held by rivets 35 which also connect the flanges. Preferably the I-beam 34 has its upper horizontal flange in contact with the lower surfaceof the plate 21. The I-beam- 34 serves to divide the lower compartment of the box into two parts and a'vacuum is maintained in both of these parts by the said suction out let 26.- As shown in Fig. 1, the holes 24 in the plate 21 are preferably staggered so as not to be obstructed by the said top flange of the I-beam.

It will be. observed that the I-beam 34, by virtue of its upright position and its rigid connection with the other parts of the box, serves to give the box great vertical strength and rigidity. Suction boxes of this type are very heavy, frequently weighing 100 pounds per foot of length. With a suction box 20 or more feet in length, it is obvious that spe cial provision must be made for preventing the deflection of the central parts of the box downward by gravity. The I-beam 34 serves to greatly increase its strength and prevent deflection without adding unduly to the weight. The I-beam is so arranged in relation to the other parts that the greater part of it is above the lowermost portions of the other parts, so that the vertical overall dimensions of the box are not greatly increased. This is important for the reason that the space underneath the Fourdrinier wire is limited.

In the construction of a paper-making machine, the suction boxes are secured to the under side of the stationary rails of the Fourdrinier part of the machine. For connecting and mounting the main body parts of the box, I have illustrated a construction which is fully described and claimed in my pending application for suction box for paper-making machine, filed March 11, 1915, Serial No. 13,642. This mounting of itself forms no part of my present invention, and for presentpurposes it is sufficient to point out that it comprises the aforesaid heads 27 and 27 which are connected tothe-top parts of the box by means of blocks 36, 37, as and 39.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have illustrated another embodiment of the invention. The construction is, in many respects, the same as that already described, and repetition of description will be unnecessary. It is suflicient to point out that the body part of the box comprises longitudinal'members 5 6 7 and 8?, these being connected to heads 27 and 27 The central horizontal partition consists of webs 21 tegrally with the longitudinal members 5 and 6 respectively. At the inner ends respectively of the-webs 21 and 21 are depending flanges 40 and 41. Adjustable plugs 31 and 3l areprovided; and the cover, the: suction outlet, the priming water inlet and. other partsare constructed as already described. For reinforcing the box to withstand vertical stresses, a vertical plate 42 extends between the flanges 18 and 20 on the members 7 and 8, and between the flanges 40. and 41 on the webs 21 and 21 Rivets 35 and 43 hold the plate 42 in place and also connect the two'flanges of each pair. The plate 42 extends upward into engagement with the cover, thus serving to and 21 formed in-- IOU support it, making it unnecessary to provide special braces for that purpose. as shown in Fig. 1. The plate 42 is cut away at its ends to provide for the movement of the end plugs 31 and 31 It will be observed that in this construction, as Well as-in the one first described, the supplemental reinforcing member is centrally disposed W ith respect to the other parts of the box and is so positioned that it does not greatly add to the vertical over-all dimensions of the box.

What is claimed is:

1. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls and a bottom formed in two parts with upright flanges on the adjacent edges, and a longitudinal up right reinforcing member positioned between and secured to the said flanges.

2. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central horizontal partition and a bottom, and a longitudinal upright reinforcing member secured to the bottom and engaging the partition.

8. In a. suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central horizontal partition and a bottom formed in two parts with upright flanges on the adjacent edges, and a longitudinal upright reinforcing member positioned between and secured to the said flanges and engaging the said partition.

I. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central horizontal partition and a bottom, and a longitudinal upright reinforcing member secured to the bottom and engaging the partition, the said central horizontal partition having apertures therein, some on one side of the upright reinforcing member and some on the other side.

5. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central unitary partition and a bottom, and a longitudinal upright reinforcing member secured to the bottom and having its upper edge abutting the bottom of the said central unitary partition.

6. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central unitary partition and a bottom formed in two parts with upright flanges on the adjacent edges, and a longitudinal upright reinforcing member positioned between and secured to the said flanges and having its upper edge abutting the bottom of the said central unitary partition.

7. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side Walls and a bottom formed in two parts with upright flanges on the adjacent edges, and a longitudinal upright I-beam having its web positioned between and secured to the said flanges.

8. In a suction box for a paper-making machine, the combination of a body part having upright side walls, a central horizontal partition and a bottom formed in two parts with upright flanges on the adjacent edges, and a longitudinal upright I-beam having its web positioned between and secured to the said flanges and having its upper flange in engagement with the said partition.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN DENVER COPPAGE.

Witnesses:

H. J. FEENEY, GEO. E. SANDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

